The Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) has announced that Dr. Sanda Erdelez, dean of the Simmons School of Library and Information Science (SLIS), is the recipient of the 2026 Research in Information Science Award. This award recognizes an individual or team who has made an outstanding contribution to information science research.
As the only professional association that integrates information science practice and research, ASIS&T is dedicated to generating new theories, techniques, and technologies to improve access to information.
“I am delighted and deeply honored to receive the Research in Information Science Award from ASIS&T, which has been my research home for much of my academic career,” Erdelez remarks. “This recognition is especially meaningful because it affirms the importance of information behavior research and its contribution to our understanding of people’s complex, situated, and often unexpected relationships with information.”
Praise for Dean Erdelez
Since the 1990s, Erdelez has developed field-defining research on information encountering — namely, the serendipitous discovery of information.
As ASIS&T elaborates, “Dr. Erdelez’s work fundamentally redefined how the field understands human information behavior, challenging the dominant paradigm of intentional information seeking by demonstrating the vital role of unexpected and opportunistic discovery. Her influence spans disciplines — from library and information science to human-computer interaction, journalism, and online consumer behavior — and her models have informed recommender systems and content platforms globally.”
Colleagues describe Erdelez, who has also held past leadership positions at ASIS&T, as a “trailblazer,” a “disciplinary bridgebuilder,” and “the undisputed authority on serendipity in information science.”
SLIS Professor Naresh Agarwal, a former president of ASIS&T, emphasizes that Erdelez is an internationally recognized scholar who has made an original and profound contribution to the study of human information behavior (HIB). In his letter of nomination on her behalf, Agarwal wrote that Erdelez “represents an exceptional candidate for this award, demonstrating the intellectual depth, coherence, and field-shaping impact it is designed to recognize.”
Other nominators praised Erdelez’s leadership qualities and influence. “Dr. Erdelez has demonstrated research acumen, insight, and discipline for her own work and the work of students and junior scholars,” wrote Professor and Dean Emeritus Gary Marchionini (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). Moreover, Professor Emeritus Reijo Savolainen (Tampere University, Finland) conveyed that “Sanda Erdelez's research contributions rank among the best in the field of information behavior research.”
For nominator Professor Karen E. Fisher (University of Washington), Erdelez is one of the “preeminent giants” of ASIS&T, and “her research is both unique and indelible; her innovation and impact are bar none.”
Erdelez will receive her award during ASIS&T’s 2026 meeting, which will be held this November in Bangkok, Thailand.